Fate of a Wolf Pack
by Amelia Wingheart
Summary: An alternate version to the original Wolf's Rain
1. Hige and Kiba Meet

One day, a brown, yellowish wolf came out of a den, and went to the nearest town, where he walked for a while.

"Where the hell are the other wolves? Don't tell me that I'm the only one that survived!" Hige, the brown-yellowish wolf says, looking around for any trace of another wolf.

"Well, it looks like I'm not the only one that came to this town." Someone says. Hige turns towards them, growling.

"Who's there?" He questions in a menacing voice.

"Calm down, squirt! I'm not going to hurt you." A voice says. Hige looks at him with skepticism.

"How do I know that?" Hige questions. The other wolf jumps down, and Hige curls up in a corner, crouching to the ground.

"Because I told you so." The other wolf says in a sure voice.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Hige questions, looking up at the other wolf.

"You're just going to have to trust me." The other wolf says with what looks like a shrug.

"What's your name?" Hige asks, standing up a little bit.

"My name's Kiba. What's yours?" The other wolf says, looking at Hige expectantly.

"M...my name's Hige." Hige says, bowing slightly.

"Hige, huh? So, where are you headed, Hige?" Kiba asks, turning to look at Hige better.

"I have nowhere to go..." Hige says simply.

"Then why don't you come with me, then we can find our way together?.." Kiba says, looking at Hige for an answer.

"You're lost too?" Hige questions, looking at Kiba with a skeptical look.

"Kinda...in a way, I suppose you could say I'm lost...but you're no better than me. So, what does it matter?" Kiba questions, looking at Hige.

"I don't know, but I am wondering...why are you doing this?" Hige asks.

"What do you mean?" Kiba asks, looking at Hige like he's lost it.

"Why are you helping me...wolves don't usually help other wolves that aren't part of their pack." Hige says.

"Well...about the pack...I don't have one anymore. So, I'm not really obliged to the theory." Kiba says, shrugging.

"Oh. What happened?" Hige asks, untensing a bit.

"They were killed." Kiba says in a dark voice.

"I'm sorry..." Hige says, sorry for asking.

"What are you sorry for?" Kiba asks, looking at Hige with confusion.

"Asking about it." Hige says.

"Don't worry about it. So, why are you here?" Kiba asks.

"I'm not really sure. I just felt like I was drawn to this town..." Hige says, looking up at the tall buildings.

"Me too, but I wonder why..." Kiba says, also looking up.

"Well...I used to be told that us wolves are drawn to something called the flower maiden." Hige says, remembering the tales he was told as a pup.

"So, you think she's here?" Kiba asks, looking at Hige with wide eyes.

"I don't know what I think anymore...my whole pack left me to die." Hige says, shaking his head.

"What about your mother?" Kiba asks, turning to look at Hige with wide eyes.

"She died when I was very young." Hige says with a sigh.

"Oh..." Kiba says in a quiet voice.


	2. A Crazed Wolf

"Yeah, but I better get going if I plan on getting there before anyone notices me..." Hige says.

"So you're on the run?" Kiba asks, looking at Hige with an interested look.

"Yeah." Hige says with a sigh. He looks at the ground, and Kiba walks next to him. When he looks, he notices that Hige has a huge cut on his back left leg that's bleeding rapidly.

"Where did you get that?" Kiba asks, motioning toward the wound.

"I got it in a fight." Hige says simply.

"With another wolf?" Kiba asks.

"No! A human..." Hige says, looking away from Kiba.

"Why did you walk up to one?" Kiba questions, looking at Hige like he's lost it.

"I didn't. On my way here, I was running, and suddenly a round; circular thing came flying at me, and hit me in the ear." Hige says, dropping his head so Kiba can see the hole in his ear. Hige then tells Kiba the rest of the story. They walk out of the town.

"So, where are you planning on staying?" Kiba asks, looking at Hige with a critical eye.

"I don't know...I haven't thought about it." Hige says with a shrug.

"You don't think about much, do you?" Kiba says as an anime sweat drop falls down the side of his face.

"Not usually, unless there's a good reason for me to." Hige says with a lazy grin. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a shot rings out through the block.

"What the hell!" Kiba shouts, turning to look in the direction the sound had come from. A bullet suddenly hits Hige in the chest. He collapses to the ground, bleeding.

"Maybe I'll actually get to go to Paradise after all." Hige says, smiling.

"What did you say?" Kiba asks, looking down at Hige with confusion written all over his face.

"I've been looking for Paradise for as long as I can remember." Hige says in a sad voice.

"So it was you that I was hearing about all this time!" Kiba says as his eyes widen.

"What are you talking about?" Hige asks, grunting as he looks up at Kiba.

"Well, some wolves were talking about this crazed wolf was looking for Paradise." Kiba says simply.

"Then that's probably me." Hige says with a small chuckle.

"Well, those wolves were killed by the wolf hunters a couple years ago." Kiba says in a sad voice as he tries to stand up.

"Figures." Hige says in an irritated voice. Hige whines, and collapses back to the ground.

"God, I wish the moon was out so I could heal myself!" Hige complains as he rolls his eyes.

"Well...you still have a couple hours before that happens..." Kiba says in a voice that said he's deep in thought.


	3. Hige and Kiba's Fight

"I know, but I'm sick of this flippen pain! It's unbearable!" Hige says, wincing.

"I wouldn't know. I've been in this town for a very long time." Kiba says.

"Well...you're lucky." Hige says with a sigh.

"I bet I am." Kiba says, sneering. They continue talking until the moon comes up, and Hige heal completely.

"That feels much better!" Hige says, stretching.

"You sure heal fast." Kiba says, looking at Hige's now completely healed form.

"Yeah well...so are you the only one here or are there others?" Hige asks, looking at Kiba critically.

"I'm not sure. I try to stay away from other animals and humans." Kiba says with a shrug.

"That didn't stop you from coming to me." Hige says, looking at Kiba with a confused look.

"I'm not sure why I found you less menacing than other animals. Something just kind of told me that you were a friend." Kiba says with a shrug.

"Well, your instincts were right. I don't hurt anyone unless there's no other choice." Hige says with a sad look on his face.

"What do you mean." Kiba asks.

"Well...I mean like when they're trying to kill me, and some other times." Hige says in a serious voice.

"Oh yeah, I can understand that." Kiba says, nodding.

"Well, I should be going." Hige says as he walks toward the edge of town.

"Where do you have to go?" Kiba asks.

"I haven't figured that out yet, but I have to keep going." Hige says, looking up at the sky.

"Why don't you stay here until you're feeling better, and maybe we can find some other wolves." Kiba says, stepping in front of Hige.

"Okay...but..." Suddenly, another bullet comes flying through the air, but this time, it doesn't hit anyone. Hige turns around, and attacks the man in the neck.

"Come on, Hige. Let's get out of here!" Kiba says, prancing forward a few steps. The two of them run off with Hige full of blood. When they stop, Kiba turns around. "Why in the world did you do that in the middle of nowhere like that?" Kiba demands.

"Because he tried to kill us." Hige says simply.

"That doesn't matter. Thanks to that great stunt they're going to be looking for you!" Kiba says in a worried voice.

"Wouldn't be the first time." Hige says with a shrug.

"Oh, never mind. Come on." Kiba says. He walks up to Hige, and drags him off. He lets go of Hige after a while. "Think before you act!" Kiba demands.

"Leave me alone." Hige says, turning away from Kiba.


	4. Tsume and Toboe Meet at Last

"You really need to watch what you say." Kiba says, looking at Hige.

"Why should I? I have nothing to lose." Hige says, looking at Kiba with a look that demands an answer.

"Oh, very mind. Come on." Kiba says, turning to walk away. The two of them walk away with Hige still limping slightly on one foot.

Meanwhile, not far away, another wolf is walking down a road.

"What in the world am I supposed to do! It's not like I can just forget what just happened!" Tsume says, shaking his head. As he walks, he slowly turns into his human shape. "I have to get out of here befor-" Suddenly, gun shots are heard. "What the hell!" Tsume demands. He starts running.

When he gets to where he had heard the sound, he stops suddenly when he sees blood with a human lying on the ground. He walks up to the human. "Wow. This is really bad. I wo-" Suddenly, an arm reaches out to grab Tsume's leg. He rips away, and realizes that the human is still alive. "What happened to you?" Tsume asks.

"A wolf. A wolf came and attacked me, so I shot it." The human says in a quiet voice.

"A wolf, huh? How interesting. Tell me, which way did it go?" Tsume asks, looking at the human.

"..."

"Before you die, can you tell me which way it went?" Tsume asks in a quieter voice.

"It went; um...I'm not exactly sure." The human says in a quiet voice. Tsume gets up, and walks away. When he gets to where the blood is, he notices the paw prints.

"That way, huh?" Tsume says before he takes off running, leaving the man behind. "I wonder why two wolves all of a sudden appeared. This town has never been that popular in the wolf sense." Tsume says as he transforms into his wolf. After about two miles, he stops, and sniffs the air. "I'm getting closer, and it's definitely a wolf." Tsume says as he scrunches up his nose. Suddenly, a howl breaks the silence. Tsume stops and growls. "Who's there?" Tsume demands. He looks up when he sees a young brown wolf above him on a ledge. "Who are you?" Tsume demands.

"Toboe's my name. What's yours?" Toboe asks, looking down at Tsume. He jumps down.


	5. HumanKiller Hunting

"Are you the one that killed that human?" Tsume demands, looking at Toboe.

"Human? What are you talking about?" Toboe asks, looking at Tsume in confusion.

"It must not have been you if you don't even know what I'm talking about." Tsume says, sighing as he stands up straight.

"So, where are you going?" Toboe asks, walking up next to Tsume.

"I'm going to find the wolf that killed that human." Tsume says with a shrug.

"For what?" Toboe asks.

"No more questions! And besides, don't you have something else to do?" Tsume questions, looking at Toboe with narrowed eyes.

"No..." Toboe whispers, dropping his head.

"Where's the rest of your pack? Like your mother." Tsume asks, turning to look at Toboe.

"Dead...They died when I was just a pup." Toboe says as he continues to walk as if it's nothing.

"I'm sorry...I didn't realize." Tsume whispers.

"Don't worry about it...I've accepted that I'm meant to be alone." Toboe says, looking at Tsume.

"Someone's coming!" Tsume mutters, crouching down. He jumps, and knocks Toboe down to the ground.

"Get off me!" Toboe squeals as he tries to get away.

"Would you shut up! There's someone coming!" Tsume says, glaring at Toboe.

"Who?" Toboe asks, instantly going sill.

"I don't know." Tsume says, glancing around. Suddenly, two wolves walk up in their human forms.

"I'm sure I heard the voices coming from somewhere around here...plus I smell the stench of other wolves." Hige says, plugging his nose.

"Are you sure you weren't imagining it?" Kiba asks, looking at Hige with a critical look.

"Well, tell me your nose would work correctly if you had a very keen sense of smell and had to travel through the sewers!" Hige shouts, glaring at Kiba.

"Oh, stop your complaining. It was the only way to get you to stop attacking everything in sight." Kiba says, shaking his head.

_*So it was them!*_ Tsume says mentally as he growls.

"What was that?" Hige questions, turning toward where Tsume and Toboe are hiding.

"Imagining things again?" Kiba asks, glancing over his shoulder at Hige.

"No, I could have sworn I heard someone growl." Hige says, still looking around.

"What are we going to do? They heard you!" Toboe whispers, looking up at Tsume.

"Now I KNOW I heard someone, and I can smell him too, no wait! There are two of them." Hige says, lifting his nose in the air, and sniffs.

"You better not be imagining it again." Kiba says with a sigh as he walks back toward Hige.

"I'm not! They're right over...THERE!" Hige shouts, pointing toward a huge rock.

"Why don't you come out? It's not like we're going to kill you or anything." Kiba says, taking a step forward. Tsume stands up, but pushes Toboe back down when he would have stood up.

"Stay here." Tsume commands, looking down at Toboe.


	6. A Terrible Secret

"But why?" Toboe asks.

"Shush!" Tsume demands, glaring at Toboe. He turns to look at Kiba and Hige. "What do you want?" He demands.

"To tell the truth, we were just walking and crazy head over here thought he smelled more wolves." Kiba says, motioning toward Hige.

"Well, he was right." Tsume says, keeping a close eye on both of them as he walks over to the table.

"What are you doing?" Hige asks, looking at Tsume in confusion.

"It's all right. You can come out." Tsume says, pushing something out of behind the table.

"Okay...he's goin-" Hige begins, but stops when he sees Toboe walk out of behind the table.

"What's going on?" Toboe asks, looking at Kiba and Hige.

"Hello." Kiba says, smiling warmly.

"Hello...who are you?" Toboe asks, looking at Kiba and Hige in confusion.

"My name's Kiba, and this is Hige." Kiba says, motioning toward Hige. Toboe looks at Hige, and his face turns into a mask of horror.

"Toboe? What's wrong?" Tsume asks, walking up to Toboe, and nudging him with his muzzle.

"It's...y...you!" Toboe shouts as he growls, the hair on his back sticking up. He lunges at Hige.

"What the hell is your problem, kid?" Hige demands, glaring at Toboe.

"It's your fault!" Toboe shouts.

"What are you talking about? You crazy kid!" Hige growls, getting into a defensive stance.

"It's your fault!" Toboe repeats.

"What the hell did you do, Hige?" Kiba demands.

"I don't know! I've never seen this kid before!" Hige shouts as he dodges an attack.

"Well...he sure seems to know you." Kiba says, looking on the battle with worry.

"Apparently." Hige growls, looking at Kiba like he's just stated the obvious. Tsume jumps forward to grab Toboe by the back of the neck, and pulls him back.

"Let me go! He betrayed my pack to the nobles!" Toboe shouts, fighting against Tsume's hold on him.

"What in the world are yo-" Tsume begins.

"I'm sorry about that...but I don't belong to the nobles anymore." Hige says, lowering his head.

"How do we know?" Toboe demands.

"Good question...hm...well, I guess you'll just have to trust me." Hige says, sounding unsure. He looks at Toboe, who is now crying. When he tries to walk up to him, Tsume stands in front of Toboe.

"Stay away from him." Tsume demands in an angry voice.

"But..." Hige mutters.

"So, you think it's fun to kill your own kind as well as humans? Is there any room in your perfect world for anyone but yourself?" Tsume demands, glaring at Hige.

"I don't ask that he forgives me...it's just that...I was the one that carried him away and brought him here on that day." Hige says, lowering his head in shame. Toboe stops crying, and looks at Hige.


	7. Rumors of the Forest

"It was you!" Toboe shouts.

"Yes." Hige says, sighing.

"But that still doesn't explain why you did it in the first place." Toboe says, sounding deep in thought.

"You want to know? Fine, I'll tell you...it was this blasted collar. Whenever I'm around certain places, it activates, and I become one of the noble's pawns." Hige says, gnawing on the collar.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Toboe questions, looking at Hige in confusion.

"I am sorry." Hige says, turning around. He runs off, and Kiba walks up to Tsume and Toboe.

"Should we go after him?" Toboe asks, sounding worried.

"No...forget him. Maybe he'll run back to his noble buddies." Tsume says, shaking his fur out.

"That's what I'm worried about." Toboe says, looking at Tsume.

"What if he's telling the truth?" Kiba questions.

"I don't think he is." Tsume says, glaring in the direction Hige had run off in.

"Yeah...but what if the nobles do have control of him?" Kiba questions. Tsume looks at him with narrowed eyes.

"We have to catch up to him!" Toboe shouts, running as fast as he can in the direction Hige had gone. Tsume turns to glare at Kiba.

"Nice going, smart one!" Tsume growls before turning, and running after Toboe.

"Well...here we go again." Kiba says as he laughs, and runs after them. When he catches up to them, he notices that Hige's on the ground, in his wolf form, twitching. "What happened?" Kiba demands as he runs up.

"I'm not sure. He just all of the sudden collapsed." Tsume says, looking at Kiba with serious eyes.

"I think some thing's hurting him!" Toboe says, looking at Hige with worried eyes. Kiba bends down, but when he reaches for Hige's collar, Hige jumps up, and bites him.

"What the hell! What's wrong with you!" Kiba demands, flinching back. Hige gets up. When Kiba looks in his eyes, he sees that instead of Hige's normal blue, they're a pitch black. "What's wrong with you?" Kiba questions. Hige runs off into the forest, leaving Kiba looking off into space. Toboe walks up to him.

"Are you all right?" Toboe asks, sounding worried.

"I'm fine." Kiba says, looking down at Toboe. Kiba gets up, and walks to the edge of the forest. *Stay safe, Hige.* Kiba mentally whispers.

"Do you think he'll survive in the forest? I've heard nasty rumors about it." Toboe says, looking toward the forest with worried eyes.

"Who really cares? He killed innocent people and wolves! He deserves to die!" Tsume says, baring his teeth toward the woods.


	8. Tsume and Hige's Promise to Each Other

"Who are you to say who should be able to live and who should die?" Kiba demands, baring his teeth. Tsume steps back, and looks down at the ground.

"Why the hell is this my fault? I didn't make his leave!" Tsume demands.

"No, but the way you sounded...you sure wanted him to leave." Kiba says.

"Well...what would you say! Look at how many he killed. I mean, he killed a man just this morning." Tsume says, trying to defend himself.

"No, he didn't. That man attacked us, pus, he shot Hige! Hige was just defending himself.

"..."

I never thought it could have been self-defense!" Toboe says, suddenly sounding worried.

"Well, that's what it was, and you had to go and says that he killed that man just for the taste of blood!" Kiba yells.

"Well, that's what I thought. You can't kill me for expressing my thoughts." Tsume says, standing up proudly.

"That may be, but I wish I could." Kiba says, glaring at Tsume with hatred filled eyes. He turns away, and jumps on top of the boulder, where he curls up. Toboe walks up to him.

"Do you think Hige will come back?" Toboe asks in a sad voice.

"I don't know." Kiba says, shaking his head. Toboe crawls up next to the boulder, and falls asleep.

"Well..." Kiba asks, looking at Tsume expectantly.

"Well what?" Tsume demands, glaring at Kiba.

"Are you going to join us?" Kiba asks, lifting his head to look at Tsume better.

"Why on earth would I do that?" Tsume demands.

"Because you're as much a part of this pack as the rest of us. So, it only makes sens-" Kiba begins.

"I run alone! I don't need you guys! In fact, I bet you need me more than I need you." Tsume says in an insulted voice.

"Is that so?" Kiba demands.

"Yes." Tsume says shortly.

"Well...in that case, why are you here? Why don't you go back?" Kiba demands, standing up.

"I'm here because I promised I would watch over the kid." Tsume says, looking at Toboe.

"What are you talking about?" Kiba demands.

"Hige did bring Toboe here...in fact, he brought him to me, but I wasn't meant to watch a puppy. So, I brought him to an old lady who raised him." Tsume says, looking at the ground.

"What happened?" Kiba demands.

"About three or four months ago...the old woman died." Tsume says.

"Oh..." Kiba says, looking taken aback.

"And I fulfilled my promise to Hige." Tsume says.

"And what was that?" Kiba asks, looking straight at Tsume.


	9. The Need to Hurry

"To never tell Toboe Hige's true Identity." Tsume says in a quiet voice.

"I understand why he wanted to keep it a secret, but one thing's bothering me." Kiba says, looking like he's concentrating on something really hard.

"What is it?" Tsume asks.

"If you didn't tell Toboe who Hige was...then who did?" Kiba asks, looking worried and confused at the same time.

"That's a good question...I'm not sure." Tsume says, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Well, no sense on dwelling on it tonight. Let's get some sleep. Or are you going to watch?" Kiba asks, looking at Tsume expectantly.

"I'll watch for tonight." Tsume says, sitting down.

"Okay." Kiba says, nodding as he lies back down. The night goes on, and Kiba eventually falls asleep.

"I wonder if Hige-" Tsume begins, but stops when he hears footsteps. He turns around to see a familiar face.

"If I what?" Hige asks, taking a few steps toward them. Tsume takes a closer look at him, only to see him all scratched up.

"What in the world did you do?" Tsume demands.

"It's the nobles again. We have to get out of here tomorrow." Hige says as he lies down next to Tsume.

"What's activating it?" Tsume asks.

"I think it's the forest." Hige says with a sigh.

"Because of all the positive energy here?" Tsume asks.

"Exactly." Hige says, nodding.

"So...where do you suppose we go?" Tsume asks, looking at Hige expectantly.

"Anywhere but here. I don't know how long I can fight them off before they take complete control." Hige says, shaking his head.

"Do you think you can wait till morning?" Tsume asks.

"I can try, but I can't guarantee anything...they're stronger than you could ever imagine." Hige says, looking at Tsume with serious eyes.

"They have to be to cause you this much pain." Tsume says, looking at Hige with worry. Suddenly, they hear movement. They turn to see Kiba jumping off the boulder he had fell asleep on.

"What's going on?" Kiba demands.

"It's nothing." Tsume says, turning away from Kiba.

"How stupid do you think I am?" Kiba demands, glaring at Tsume.

"I've never been very good with these kinds of questions." Tsume says in a serious voice.

"Oh, never mind." Kiba says, shaking his head.

"Oh...kay...but anyway-" Tsume says, turning to look back at Hige.

"And you, Hige! What the hell were you thinking? Thanks to your little stunt, we wasted a whole day that we could have been traveling for!" Kiba shouts, causing Tsume to stop talking again.

"I'm truly sorry, Kiba. If I could have stopped myself, I could have, but I couldn-" Hige begins, but is stopped he Kiba.

"Oh, save it! I've already heard all your excuses." Kiba says, glaring at Hige.


	10. Leaving

"But it's not an excuse! The nobles really do have control over me via this stupid collar!" Hige shouts, biting on the collar.

"Whatever." Kiba says, rolling his eyes as he turns around, and leaves. Tsume turns toward Hige.

"Wow...that was harsh." Tsume says, shaking his head.

"It doesn't bother me. I've dealt with worse." Hige says, shrugging.

"I'm sure you have, but don't let his rough outside fool you. He's actually just like you and me when it comes to his feelings." Tsume says, grinning.

"You make it sound like I think he's a human!" Hige says, grinning.

"Does that really sound that alien? Sorry!" Tsume says, grinning his head off.

"Don't worry about it. It's no big deal." Hige says, shrugging. They sit there for the rest of the night.

Morning comes to find that Kiba had come back and fallen back asleep. Kiba and Toboe wake up, and walk over to Hige and Tsume.

"Well. It looks like your collar didn't act up last night." Kiba says, grinning triumphantly.

"Yeah...but I'd rather not take any chances." Hige says, sitting up.

"So, what do you say? You two ready to go?" Tsume asks.

"Yeah." Kiba says, nodding.

"But what about packing?" Toboe asks.

"Don't worry about that." Tsume says.

"I'll take care of it." Hige says as he walks forward, and gets all their stuff before setting it all in a corner. "Done." Hige says, sighing.

"When did you come back last night?" Toboe asks, sounding sad that he had missed it.

"Don't worry about it." Hige says, smiling. Toboe smiles back, and goes to a huge rock, where he sits.

"So anyway...we do have a bit of a problem." Tsume says, walking toward the others.

"What is it?" Kiba demands.

"We need to get out of here as fast as possible. For a lot of reasons, but I wanted to tell you before me and Hige start getting ready to go." Tsume says, looking directly at Kiba.

"Okay, we can go, but I'm going to want to know what the hell's going on as soon as we're a far distance away from here." Kiba says in a stern voice.

"All right, just, please. Let's get out of here." Hige says.

"Come on." Tsume says as he picks up their stuff and they walk away.


	11. Can't Stay Mad at Someone in Your Pack

After they walk for a while, they hear a loud thump. When they turn around, they see Hige on the ground.

"HIGE!" Tsume shouts. They run over to him, only to see him bleeding. "Where did all this blood come from!" Tsume demands.

"You remember that old man, don't you?" Kiba questions, looking at Tsume with a serious look.

"Yeah...what about him?" Tsume demands, not seeing how the man is relevant in their present situation.

"Well...he shot Hige in the shoulder." Kiba says, looking at Hige's unconscious form.

"Is that why-" Tsume begins.

"That's why Hige attacked him." Kiba says, nodding his head.

"I understand now." Tsume says, looking down at Hige with understanding eyes before picking him up, and throwing Hige over his shoulder. Hige cringes in pain. "Hold on..." Tsume says in a quiet, yet intense voice as he starts running at top speed, followed closely by the other two.

"Do you think he's going to make it?" Toboe asks in a concerned voice.

"I'm not sure about anything right now..." Kiba says in a solemn voice.

"I hope he does." Toboe says, seeming to have ignored what Kiba had said.

"But I thought you hated Hige for betraying your pack..." Kiba says, looking at Toboe with a grin on his face.

"I do, but you really can't stay mad at someone in your pack for very long." Toboe says in a bored voice as he glances over at Kiba, who's smiling.

"No, I guess you can't." Kiba says. They return their focus to catching up to Tsume.

"Wow...he can run fast." Toboe says with his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

"Either that, or we're running slow...can't figure out which one though." Kiba says, out of breath.

After a while, Tsume stops.

"He's getting worse!" Tsume says after the others catch up to him.

"Can't we take him to a doctor?" Toboe demands, looking from Kiba to Tsume with worried eyes.

"And risk him losing control of his human shape?" Tsume questions, looking at Toboe as though it should be obvious.

"Yeah, we can't take that chance." Kiba says, looking around like an answer is just suddenly going to appear.

"Then what!" Toboe demands.

"Give me a minute! I'm thinking!" Kiba snaps. They wait in patience until Hige transforms back to his wolf form, and starts whimpering.

"Okay, now I'm starting to get worried. It's pretty bad when he's transforming in his sleep." Tsume says, looking down at Hige with eyes full of worry.

"Yeah, I realize that! But we must TRY to get out of this closed space and into the open!" Kiba commands, looking around.

"How in the moon's name is that going to help!" Tsume demands, looking at Kiba with angry eyes.


	12. Hige's Rapid Recovery

"The moon! It'll heal him!" Kiba says in a desperate voice.

Then let's get going again!" Tsume says as he picks Hige up again, and goes to the edge of the forest, where they see a field of flowers.

"They're beautiful!" Toboe says as he kneels down to smell the flowers. He stands back up, and runs into the field. He collapses in the field, laughing.

"How is he?" Kiba asks, walking up next to Tsume.

"He's starting to calm down." Tsume says, panting from the exertion he has put on his body. They look at Hige.

"Wow! He's getting better!" Toboe says as he runs back toward the others.

"Yeah. He's actually turning back into a human." Tsume says, looking at Hige as his body begins to shimmer. As soon as he's completely in his human shape, and he stops shining, his eyes slowly flutter open.

"Wh...what's going on?" Hige asks in a quiet voice.

"Why don't you tell us that?" Kiba says, looking down at Hige with stern eyes.

"The last thing I remember is us walking..." Hige says, getting a thoughtful look on his face.

"You passed out." Tsume says.

"How long have I been out for?" Hige asks as a grim expression crosses his face.

"I'd say at least a week." Tsume says, rolling his shoulders to untense them.

"Damn!" Hige shouts as he jumps to his feet, and runs away from them.

"Here we go again..." Tsume says, shaking his head.

"Are you going to go get him?" Kiba asks, looking at Tsume

"Doesn't look like I've got much of a choice, now does there?" Tsume says as he rolls his shoulders one last time before running after Hige, who is now almost to the other side of the field. "Oh, come on, Hige!" Tsume shouts.

"Stay away from me!" Hige pleads. He suddenly stops, and starts biting at his collar.

"What are you doing?" Tsume demands, also coming to a stop.

"I have to get this thing off me before they take control!" Hige says, biting at his collar with even more vigor.

"Is that why you passed out?" Tsume questions.

"I think so..." Hige says with a hint of uncertainty.

"Then what was up with all the blood?" Tsume demands.

"Blood?" Hige questions, forgetting his collar for a moment to look at Tsume.

"Yeah. When you passed out, you suddenly started bleeding really bad." Tsume says, shrugging.

"I...I'm not sure...that honestly doesn't make any sense!" Hige says, shaking his head.

"Kiba said something about you getting shot, and maybe the wound reopening..." Tsume says, looking into Hige's eyes.

"No! It's not possible! The moon healed that wound." Hige says with wild eyes.

"Well...you never know...you seemed to get better as soon as we got here…so..." Tsume says, shrugging.


	13. Get the Damned Collar Off

"That's because these are lunar flowers." Hige says, looking down at the flowers.

"LUNAR FLOWERS!" Tsume shouts, looking around him at the white flowers.

"Lunar flowers have the power to sooth and heal us." Hige says with a relieved sigh.

"That's weird..." Tsume says, not sure of what to think.

"How so?" Hige asks, looking directly at Tsume.

"Why would flowers have that much power? I mean, it doesn't matter what is wrong with you...and they can heal you? So why should flowers have that much strength!" Tsume demands, now glaring at the flowers with hatred.

"I can't explain it. They just do." Hige says, shutting his eyes.

"Oh..." Tsume mutters.

"Hey, Tsume..." Hige mutters in a quiet voice.

"What?" Tsume asks.

"Can you help me get my collar off?" Hige asks, looking at Tsume straight in the eyes.

"Sure..." Tsume says, looking at Hige with confusion as he walks over to him. He grabs onto Hige's collar with his teeth, and pulls with all his might. "Wow...it's really on there!" Tsume says a bit muffled.

"It's so I can't take it off." Hige says, pushing himself away from Tsume.

"That so." Tsume asks as he keeps pulling until suddenly it busts. "Finally!" Tsume shouts, flexing his jaw. Hige takes a big breath of air, and looks down at the collar.

"You're finally off! Which means I'm no longer known as number 23!" Hige says, stretching.

"You're number 23!" Tsume demands.

"Yeah..." Hige says, looking at Tsume in confusion.

"So it was you." Tsume says in a low voice.

"What was me?" Hige asks, looking at Tsume like he's lost it.

"When I was little, I remember hearing about a wolf pup that was found by the nobles and brought to their palace. I guess they named him number 23." Tsume says, scratching his ear.

"Yeah...that's me." Hige says, sighing.

"So, have you ever actually met your pack?" Tsume asks, looking at Hige with serious eyes.

"Not that I can remember...no..." Hige says while watching Tsume's reaction.

"Wow..." Tsume whispers, looking at Hige with sympathy.

"...the nobles are terrible people." Hige says, shaking his body like he's shaking them out of his life.

"I still don't get how they controlled 26 wolves at a time..." Tsume says, his eyes showing confusion.

"Brute force." Hige says with a shiver.

"Huh?" Tsume asks, looking at Hige in surprise.

"That's how they controlled us, by brute force." Hige says, looking at Tsume with confusion.

"Oh..." Tsume says.

"But I suppose we should go find Kiba and Toboe..." Hige says, looking up at the sky. Suddenly, the two of them hear gun shots. "Oh no!" Hige shouts as he runs off.

"What's wrong with you?" Tsume demands as he runs after Hige.


	14. Killing the Human

"I hope I'm not right...but if I am, we have to hurry!" Hige says, looking at Tsume with close to hysterical eyes.

"Okay, I officially think you've gone nuts." Tsume says, shaking his head.

"Think what you want!" Hige shouts, getting kind of snappy before he suddenly stops, and looks down at where the others had been. The color red suddenly catches his eye. "Oh no!" Hige mutters with horror filled eyes as he jumps down the cliff, and runs over. "Great! I was right!" Hige says with loathing in his voice as Tsume finally catches up with him, only to see Kiba on the ground and...bleeding!

"What the hell happened to him?" Tsume demands, looking down at Kiba with sorrowful eyes.

"The nobles found out where I was going and ambushed them...which means..." Hige mutters, looking down at Kiba before pushing Tsume onto the ground just as gun fire begins to sound. Hige growls. A human suddenly rushes out of the bushes in an attempt to capture Kiba. Hige jumps at him, and pins him to the ground.

"You! I thought you were supposed to be hunting more wolves!" The human says, looking at Hige with confused eyes.

"What is he talking about, Hige?" Tsume questions, walking toward Hige and the human with his teeth bared.

"I don't know! I've never seen him before!" Hige shouts, looking at Tsume with eyes that plead for understanding.

"Yeah right!" The human says, shaking his head on the ground.

"You need to shut the hell up!" Hige says, baring his fangs at the unfortunate human under him.

"What in the world did you do, Hige!" Tsume shouts, glaring at Hige with something close to scrutiny.

"Like I said! I don't know this guy! I've never seen him before!" Hige says, glaring down at the human before looking up at Tsume and glancing toward Kiba.

"Then how does he know you so well?" Tsume asks, walking closer to Hige

"I don't know already!" Hige says, shaking his head. He turns to the human, glaring daggers at him. "How do you know me!" Hige demands.

"I'm under the instruction of the same noble as you are." The human says, looking at Hige with a cocky note to his voice.

"I broke away from the noble's grasping hand." Hige says in a sure voice as he watches the human underneath him with deep hate at the mention of the noble.

"HA! That's a good one!" The human says chucking at some unknown joke. Hige bares his fangs at the human's face again, causing said human to gulp.

"What are you talking about?" Hige demands in a voice that promises to death if not answered.

"It's virtually impossible to break away from a noble. It's also no different for a human as it is for a wolf." The human says, sighing at the last part as a sad note runs through his voice. Hige looks at him with pity filled eyes before his eyes become irritated.

"Well, I did." Hige says, standing up proudly.

"Think what you want. It honestly doesn't change anything. You're still a pawn in the noble's eyes." The human says, looking at Hige with something close to pity, but not quite. Hige's eyes flatten in anger as he lunges at the human.

"Hige! No! Don't kill him!" Tsume commands as he grabs ahold of the scruff of Hige's neck to stop him from lunging forward anymore. Surprisingly though, Hige manages to rip his neck free before killing the human. He gets off the human, and walks a short ways away. When he turns to look at Tsume, he sees him stalking toward him, anger clear in his eyes. "HIGE!" Tsume shouts, glaring down at Hige as he towers over him.

"Don't talk to me!" Hige shouts as he walks away from Tsume, tail low.

"Why did you kill him!" Tsume demands, following Hige with his eyes as he walks around the clearing, smelling the ground for something.


End file.
